Published: November 04, 2009 08:28 am      

New Berea city park construction nearly complete

BEREA — Construction work on Berea’s new 28-acre city park addition should be complete in about 60 days, City Administrator Randy Stone told the city council Tuesday night.

The $2.25 million project should be completed with a surplus of $20,000, he said.

Tuesday night, the council approved a $62,000 bid from Spohn Ranch Inc. of California to erect nine concrete skateboard structures in the park.

The supplier was waiting only for the council’s approval to ship and then set up the skateboard facility, Stone said.

In addition to a skateboarding area, the park with have $50,000 invested in playground equipment and two miles of trails, plus a lighted football field and lighted soccer field with a concession stand.

After the meeting, Stone said teams were anxious to play on the new fields in the spring, but he said letting them lie fallow for a year might be advisable.

Stone said the city had seen an uptick in insurance -- and payroll -- tax receipts in the past two weeks. Property owners also have begun to pay recently mailed annual bills.

While the city had no unpaid current bills at the end of October, end of year expenses --including $640,000 in payments on bonds to finance the new recreational park and industrial park, plus three payrolls in December -- would test city finances.

All city departments still are under orders to hold expenses “to the bare minimum,” Stone said.

The city’s contract for cell phones from Cellular One, which has been purchased by Verizon, is expiring, and the city has taken advantage of a favorable state contract with Sprint to save money, he said. The new contract will include 27, rather than 33 phones, to reduce costs further.

The street department has begun leaf pickups, focusing on areas with the greatest concentration of leaves, Stone said. Residents should rake leaves or place leaf bags at street curbs, but not in sidewalks or streets, he said.

Municipal utilities manager Donald Blackburn said the water department had completed flushing the city’s waterlines with no reports of brown water.

Fire Chief Randy Rigsby said he had received a letter from the Southern Madison County Water District stating that its lines within the city limits were certified for fire protection. The district is to provide the city with a map of its lines, indicating line sizes, the chief said. Six-inch lines are required for fire fighting, he said, and some of those outside the city limits but in the fire department’s coverage area are four-inch.

Planning Director Dale Van Winkle introduced Phillip Hurt, the city’s new codes enforcement officer.

Council member Vi Farmer said the personnel committee had interviewed three police department sergeants who are candidates for lieutenant.

Tourism Director reported that her department’s Berea Pride campaign, designed to encourage Bereans to be welcoming to tourists, had won a first-place award at the recent state tourism conference.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.